Just Living Life in Kyiv

My, what a weekend this has turned out to be. On Saturday, several girls and I went to the temple. I am glad that I got another opportunity to go to the temple. The Kyiv temple is one of the things that I will miss the most about the city. It will be strange not seeing it every week. It is what kept me going this whole time. I love living here in in Kyiv but it hasn’t been the easiest. And I got to go with my friends and we got a chance to bond each other. The temple is a great place to strengthen relationships.

After the temple we walked around the city and looked at a couple of churches. It is interesting contrast to see the cathedrals after being in the temple. The churches are so busy. I can’t concentrate when I am there because my eyes are wandering trying to take everything in. There is so much to see verses the LDS temple where it is very simple; both very, very beautiful.

In the evening, Taia and I went to a YSA talent show. I am not even going to go into that. I participated in it and I wish I hadn’t. Let’s just say, it is difficult to sing when you haven’t drank water all day. But there was a dance afterwards and Taia and I rocked the dance floor when Oppa Gangnam Style came on. We only knew a couple of moves but I was able to teach a few people them. Ukrainians, you sure know how to throw a dance party but you need to work on your choices for slow dances. They are supposed to be romantic and Adele is not romantic…..just saying. 

Why do all the creepers come out at night?!? Why can’t they just stay home? Or at least stay away from me?? I ask you this because, after the party, I was talking to Taia as we were waiting for the bus. And this man came up to me, literally six inches away from my face with a unsettling smile on his face. I backed away, grabbed my purse and stood closer to Taia. He asked where we were from. Then he asked what we were doing in Kiev. Taia told him that we were teaching. I tried to avoid talking to him as much as possible. And then he got creepier when he asked us where we lived and if we stayed in a hotel. Joke’s on him…I don’t know my address. And if I did, I am not stupid enough to give it to him. And then he told us he was a cop and he was willing to help us if we needed it. Thankfully, he was with a woman and she kept telling him to leave us alone (well, I am assuming that’s what she said) and she was tugging on his arm. Our bus never came but we hopped on the next marshrutka. By the way, Cop, I don’t believe that you are who you say you are.

Sunday came. I wish that it didn’t because I wanted to sleep but I got up and went to church. After church, Hanna and I went to one of our Pre-K student’s house for some tea. And we got more than just tea. We had Domino’s pizza! So, we were in a house, not an apartment, we had normal pizza, and I rode in a car. It felt like for a brief moment, I was in America.  It felt strange being at a student’s house because in America, that is a big no-no. But the mom invited me so I felt like it was okay. It’s not like I haven’t done things outside of school with my students before, I just never been invited to their house. I have been to a couple of baptisms for former students. I felt bad for little Katya because she wanted me to really play with her but I was so tired from the night before, that all I wanted to do was sleep. But she is a cutie-pie and I love her and she really is a fun girl to play with.

I love living here. It may not be America but Kiev is beautiful in its own way. It’s like the drive from Boise to Rexburg. There is nothing pretty about it but I love it. I’ve learned that if you really look for it, you can find beauty in anything.

Auschwitz, A Thanksgiving to Remember

Auschwitz

Wow…my first Thanksgiving away from home and I spent it in Auschwitz. It really puts things into perspective. It was depressing for me and I wanted to cry the whole time but I didn’t. I learned a lot of things that I didn’t learn in any history class. Schools don’t even scratch the surface of the horrific events that occurred at Auschwitz.

The Children Statue at Babi Yar

There is a quote in one of the barracks and it says, “The one who doesn’t remember history is bound to live through it again.” –George Santayana. I hope that this kind of cruelty never repeats itself.

Earlier this month, I visited Babi Yar in Kiev. It is a place where thousands of Jews were shot to death. I visited it because my church did a service project there. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that such a cruel act occurred in Kiev. But it is nothing compared to what I felt at Auschwitz and Birkenau. I was literally sick to my stomach. I walked the same ground that they walked on. I touched the same walls that they touched. I looked out the same windows that they looked out. The only difference is that I came out of Auschwitz alive. They didn’t get that privilege. I even walked through a gas chamber. Nobody came out of that alive.

The toilets

There is so much to tell you but I can’t bring myself to write it down. It is so emotional. I saw the bathrooms. It is just a bunch of holes. I was surprised they actually had some sort of toilets. I found out that people actually would hide out in the holes for warmth and rest. It is disgusting to think about but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. Something else that shook me was if someone escaped, the Nazi soldiers took their family and would hang them from a tree with a sign that said that so and so escape and I have to hang here until they are found. This was done purely out of humiliation and to make the other prisoners think twice about escaping. It never occurred to me that women didn’t survive as long as men did because of female hygiene issues. I didn’t know that they would inject diseases into the prisoners. And they made sure that the Jews became infertile so they couldn’t breed impure children. I didn’t realize all the cruel and inhumane torture they put on these innocent people. I was aware of the gas chambers, and the shootings, stripping them of all personal things, and starvation but not all the other things. And I am not even going to go into all of it as I am sure reading this post is making you cringe now.

One of the barracks had a hallway that had pictures of some of the captives. I looked at their faces and all I could think of was: I’m sorry. I am sorry that you had to suffer like this. But you are with Heavenly Father now. You are no longer suffering.

There will be a day when my brothers and sisters, whose lives were taken short from the Holocaust, will be reunited with their bodies and it will not be like it was then. It will be perfected. And they will be happy once again.

I am grateful to from America. I am grateful that my hometown is a safe place. I am grateful for my family. I would never want to see them suffer this way. I am grateful for the opportunity to have walked the grounds of the biggest concentration camp. But I am most grateful for my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Plan of Salvation because I know that just because the Jews suffered in the Holocaust doesn’t mean that they will always suffer but they can once again be happy and this life isn’t the end.  And I am glad that the Holocaust and WWII is over and I hope that it never happens again.

Living it up L'Viv Style

So it is vacation time. It feels like I just came back from one. Wait, that is because I just did two weeks ago. This is vacation #3 and we are going to L' Viv and Poland. Today we arrived in L' Viv and the greatest thing happened! We ate at Three Broomsticks. We were sorted into our houses. It was epic! I love Harry Potter! The food was decent but the decor was better. And any restaurant that lets you play around is a great place.
We arrived via train and it was so weird. It was just one large compartment, no doors whatsoever. AWKWARD! I did make a new friend, Oksana. She is a sweetheart and we just chatted, and laughed, and she share her knowledge of L' Viv with us. And we talked about traveling the world. It was a pretty enjoyable night.
We spent the first few hours chilling at McDonalds because one of the girls fell off the train, hurt her wrist, and had to go to the hospital. She is fine. Every vacation we have taken, someone has gotten hurt. In Odessa, I sprained my ankle. On the big trip, someone hurt her knee. And here, there is a injured wrist. It's interesting how that works out. We can never get away injury free.
L' Viv is beautiful but I think that it would be prettier if we went during the summer where it is bright and sunny instead of a gloomy fall day. We were able to go inside a couple of cathedrals and look at the amazing architecture and paintings. I love the cathedrals in Europe. There are different from the ones in America...granted I have only been inside one cathedral in America...still, the buildings are breathtaking.
On our way to the bus station, we had to take a bus (irony??) The bus was jammed pack and uncomfortable. Thankfully, I stood next to a woman who was sitting. She must have seen how I struggled with my backpack because she offered to hold it on her lap. It was so sweet of her and I took her up on her offer. The more and more I am in this country, the more and more I find kind and helpful people. It is little things like this that makes my day and makes me love this country even more. I am truly blessed.

I am thankful for.....

Hello!!
I have been a slacker with this whole blogging thing. I find that it is a lot like my journaling. I do great and keep everything updated but then I stop and it is forever until the next entry. I want to promise that I will be better at writing in my blog but let's face it...I will break that promise quickly so let's not even go there.
I have four weeks left in this great country. It feels like I just got here yesterday, except for the fact that when I got here it was summer and now it is the middle of a freezing autumn. I look back at all the fun I've had so far and all the memories I have accumulated and I just want them to keep coming. But I have to keep moving and learn to appreciate everything I have been given.
Since it is almost Thanksgiving back in America (this is my first time being away during Thanksgiving), I feel inclined to share the things I am thankful for while being here in Ukraine.
This is not in any particular order.
1- I am thankful to be in Ukraine. It is not where I thought I was going but now I can't imagine being anywhere else.
2-PEANUT BUTTER!!! I finally got a jar of pb and it is so good. They don't sell peanut butter here and I have had the biggest craving. One might think I was pregnant because of how badly I wanted it.
3-The Welty's. They are the Institute missionaries and they have helped me adjust to this country, mainly because they are Americans and I am able to speak to them. I always have the most insightful and uplifting conversations with them.
4-The Stuart's. They are temple missionaries and every month they invite me and a few other girls over for lunch. They make American dishes and so once a month, it is like I am back home even if it is just for 1 hour. I love the food and I love the Stuart's.
5-Galina. She is my host mom and she makes me breakfast and dinner every day. And she does my laundry. I don't even ask her. I come home and it is hanging. Though, it is always awkward coming home to my underwear hanging on some antlers. And she is so sweet. I am glad I have the opportunity to live with her.
6-My family. I miss them dearly and without them I wouldn't have financially survived living here. When I need money, they are so willing to put it in my account.
7-My passport. I had a hard time providing my citizenship but I got one! For once, being born in the Philippines was not cool. If I was born in the states, I wouldn't have had such a hard time. But I still love the fact that I was born in the Philippines! Go Philippines!!!!! I will see you one day!
8-And where would I be without the International Language Program...actually, I would be in Rexburg. But because of ILP, I am in Ukraine, having the time of my life.
9-My Ukrainian friends. They speak English!! Some better than others but that is okay. I can still talk to them and laugh with them. And when I am in a bind, they are willing to help me. A girl can't ask for better friends than ones who have your back. I will miss you all so much. Let's keep in touch! Thank goodness for Facebook. :)
10-My children. My cute and adorable Ukrainian children. They have made this experience the best! I love hearing the little pitter-patters as they walk up to my classroom and when they say Miss Erika with their cute little accents. My heart melts every time. I will cry the hardest when I have to leave.
11-My friends back home. I am looking forward to all the fun we will have. We're gonna tear up the town!
12-The girls I work with at my school. I work with two other girls and we clicked from the first day. They are so willing to help. Thank you Hanna and Taia. I am grateful to work with you, ladies. And my friends who cover for me when I am unable to go into work. Thank you for your selflessness.
13-my head teacher, Samantha. She gives me helpful pointers to improve so I can be the best teacher for my students.
14-Idaho. If I didn't live in Idaho, I don't think I would have appreciated all the potatoes I have eaten while being here. I thought Idahoans ate a lot of potatoes....you guys got nothin' against Ukrainians! :)
15-I am a world traveler...ok..I have only explored Eastern Europe but still, it is outside of America and it has helped me to be grateful for every little thing we take advantage of in our country.
16-free restrooms... America...you are so spoiled.
17-Benedict. My guitar. I brought him here and I am glad I did. When I strum those strings, it is like all my stress just melt away.
18-Institute and FHE. I admit it was weird that FHE was on Fridays instead of Mondays, but I got used to it and I made so many friends. And Institute has helped me gain a greater understanding of Christ's mininstry when he was on the earth. I get home later on those nights but it is definitely worth it.
19-The church. Never again will I complain about driving 15-20 minutes to church ever again! It is a sacrifice to get to church every week but it is worth it. It is like going home every week because I am in an international branch and we all speak English. And I feel so loved. And the Spirit....My first Sunday, I couldn't hold back the tears because the spirit was so strong. I am so blessed.
20-My temple recommend. My full use recommend expired here and because my records are back home, they weren't able to issue me a new one but I was able to get a limited use one. So I am able to do baptisms. I don't like the feeling of being without a temple recommend. I will never let my recommend expire ever again!
21-the temple. I love being able to go to the temple. I am grateful to be in a country where there is a temple. I know I wouldn't have been able to survive all the hard times if I weren't for the strength I received from the temple.
22- The Holy Ghost. I think I am a pretty good teacher but the Holy Ghost is the real teacher and without him helping me teach my lesson, I wouldn't have the relationship I have with my children.
23-My Savior. None of this would be possible without him. I can't imagine my life without him. And I don't even want to. My life has been filled with such happiness and joy and even the darkest of days has a glimmer of hope.

Budapest, Hungary Oct. 28

a view of Budapest

So I posted all the pictures of my travels on Facebook but I haven’t written about it. So here I go. We left Kiev Saturday (October 27) morning and we arrived in Budapest Sunday morning (and it was raining). It was a long bus ride and it wasn’t very comfortable. The great thing about it was that I got my passport stamped! I felt like such a world traveler.

Let me just tell you, Budapest Hungary is one of the most beautiful cities I have been too. I didn’t know what was in Budapest so I didn’t really go in with many expectations. It blew my mind away. It has great architecture.  Everyone should put this city on their list of travel places.

When we arrived our tour group went to see the Szechenyi thermal baths. We didn’t go because we didn’t want to spend the extra Euros on it. My reasoning was that I didn’t want to spend my money to see people in their bathing suits. So instead of doing that, we just wandered the city. And our first destination was the bathroom. So we wandered in the rain looking for a bathroom. And we were lucky because we found a mall that had a free bathroom. In Europe, free bathrooms are very rare (this is something that I am grateful for in America). Then we continued exploring the city. Even though it was raining, it was still a lot of fun to do and talk pictures.

Washington Momument

We came across a statue that we never thought we would see in any country other than America. And that statue is of George Washington. That is the first president of The United States of America. It was very strange and for a moment I was confused of whether or not I was in Europe or home.

After that, we walked around the Castle Vajdahunyad. We only had a Russian speaking tour guide and so we didn’t stick with our group. We tried but they moved on without us as we were taking pictures. It doesn’t surprise me that we lost our tour group. It wouldn’t be vacation for me if I didn’t get lost. We tried to find our group but we had no success but we found our tour bus and just chilled there until our group came. And I am glad we found the bus because it wasn’t where it was supposed to be and we never got a set time to be there.

The Castle

We only spent one day in Budapest and I wished that we were there longer because there was so much to see and do. I will say this again… everyone; put Budapest, Hungary on your list of places to visit. It is absolutely beautiful!

Vacation to Odessa!

Vacation all I ever wanted! Vacation had to get away!

My group went to Odessa. I want to tell everyone that it is a terrible, ugly place and no one should ever go there but that would be selfish of me and I would be lying. I want to keep this town secret because it is wonderful and I want to keep it all to myself. Odessa is a beach town. It is so laid back and relaxing. I couldn’t imagine a better place to vacation.

The train station

We left Wednesday night and spent all night on a sleeper train. It was the first time I have ever been on a train and I spent pretty much all night sleep. Samantha and I had to share a little compartment with a man and an old lady. It was awkward but we made do.

The park in Odessa

We arrived early Thursday morning and we immediately checked into the hostel. A hostel is not a hotel. Hostels have a lot of beds in one room and you only pay for a bed unlike hotels where you pay for a room. So when you go into a hostel, you are sharing a room with people you don’t know. Luckily, we had a room all to ourselves, which means 12 girls in one room. I glad that we didn’t have to share a room with any strangers. If we had to, it would have been very awkward.

At the Black Sea!

The people who worked there were like all the other Ukrainians, they didn’t appear very friendly. One worker however was so nice. She was interested in everything we did and wanted to know if we enjoyed it. I even found out that she is a teacher and working at the hostel is just a part time job. It was nice talking to her about teaching. She thought it was great that I was teaching English. She stuck out from the other hostel workers because she actually talked to me and she had a smile on her face. She made my experience at the hostel great.

Later that day, half of us went to the Black Sea. The walk was a little long but it was good exercise and once we got to the beach, it was fun! It was great to be in the Black Sea. Not very many Americans can say that they have been to the Black Sea. Then we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant. I have been wanting Mexican for a really long time. And now if I can get some Chinese food in me…I will be even happier!

Outside the Opera House

Friday: I want to start this portion of my day telling you about the delicious meal I had. I had the best chicken wrap I have had in a long time. I think it was good because it was something that I hadn’t had in a long time and it wasn’t soup. In the evening, we went to a ballet. I have never been to a ballet and it was beautiful. We saw Sleeping Beauty. Even though I knew the story line (thank you Disney) I still had a hard time following it because some parts were drawn out and I felt that the important parts was rushed. And it seemed like the fairy was the main character not the princess. My favorite part of everything was the Opera House. It was exquisite. It was nothing I have ever seen before and unfortunately pictures cannot capture its beauty. After the play was over, we went over to Bro. and Sis. Colvin’s apartment for desserts. It was very nice that they invited all 12 of us over for desserts. The great thing was that we didn’t know them until a week before when we ran into them at FHE and they told us that they live in Odessa. And when I told them that we were going there they immediately invited us over. It was very hospitable of them and I am very grateful for them.

Inside the Opera House

Saturday was so fun! We spent the afternoon at the Black Sea. I love being at the beach. It is so relaxing. Jenna, Cherish, Hanna, and I went back to the hostel while the other girls stayed at the beach. At the hostel, we had a special dance video and Hanna and I tried to dance ghetto…but it just wasn’t happening. We are too white to even pretend to be ghetto. But it was funny when Cherish started choking on water. after getting lost the other girls joined us at the hostel. We went out for pizza and it was pretty good. I really love pizza. Then the group split for ice cream. Some of us wanted ice cream from Baskin Robbins until we found out that it was expensive. But some crazy things happened. We were taking pictures by the gazebo when some ladies came up to us and asked us to play a game with them. I didn’t really know what was going on but when they started running I was compelled to join them so we all starting running after them. It was a good thing that we did because played a game in the park with a bunch of Ukrainians and we were all laughing. We stood in two lines and with one hand we had to hold the hand of the person in front of us. Then the people at the end of the line ran through the open space grabbing the arms of the people next to them and repeated until the last person ran through. We played a couple of rounds of this. None of us knew what was going on because the instructions were given in Russian but we quickly caught on. Then Jenna was almost attacked by a giant ice cream cone! That is right. We saw three men running across us and one of them was holding a giant cone (it looked as if they stole it). He ran up to us and swung the cone in Jenna’s direction. It was so random and funny. Saturday night was so much fun! I loved walking around Odessa.

Sunday: We came back to Kiev. It was strange going home because it wasn’t really home. I was going back to Kiev not Boise. But it was good to be back. On the way to the train, I popped my ankle. It was so scary because I couldn’t stand up and my whole body went into shock. Four girls had to carry me to the train station. I was in so much pain and I was completely out of it. I am thankful for these ladies. They took such good care of me. And I am grateful that I hurt my ankle after the vacation was over so I didn’t miss out on any of the fun.

So this is pretty much the gist of my vacation in Odessa. When can I go back?